The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Description official descriptions
Twilight Princess is the first Legend of Zelda game for the Wii and also the last for GameCube. At first, Link is a simple farm boy, whose tasks consist of herding goats to watching children in Ordon village, Link's hometown. One day, Link is asked by the mayor to run an errand in Castle Town, but things suddenly go wrong…
The land becomes dark, and strange creatures appear from another world called the Twilight Realm, which turns most into ghosts. Link, however, becomes a wolf. After becoming a wolf, Link is aided by Midna, a resident of the Twilight Realm. Midna helps Link find a way to turn human again along with other tasks.
The wolf cannot use a sword or other items. Instead, as a wolf Link must use his senses to solve puzzles and get past obstacles. The beast can also dig holes to find hearts and rupees and to get in places. It can push blocks with its head to climb higher or reveal hidden passageways. Additionally, it can attack enemies by biting or pouncing on them.
As a human, Link can move around quickly, aim his bow, swing his sword, and even fish. Link also collects many different items, which allow him to perform varied attacks and reach places he couldn't before. Link performs many attacks with his sword and can even learn other sword moves.
The game's art is similar to the naturalistic style of Ocarina of Time, rather than the cel-shaded look of The Wind Waker. Chronologically, the game takes place between the two aforementioned titles, and quite a few locations from Ocarina of Time can be visited. The main adventure takes place in several provinces with dungeons and temples. With the help of Midna, you can easily travel around quickly later in the game.
The Wii U remaster of the game includes:
- Enhanced graphics
- Wii U GamePad support (allowing for a mini-map to be displayed on the touchscreen, or items to be changed using the touchscreen)
- Miiverse support
- Some areas of gameplay have had minor adjustments
- A new difficulty mode
- A new dungeon, the Cave of Shadows, which is accessed using the Wolf Link amiibo
- Additional amiibo support for health refills or arrow refills
Spellings
- ゼルダの伝説 トワイライトプリンセス HD - Japanese Wii U spelling
- ゼルダの伝説 トワイライトプリンセス - Japanese spelling
- 젤다의 전설 황혼의 공주 - Korean spelling
Groups +
- Console Generation Exclusives: GameCube
- Console Generation Exclusives: Wii
- Gameplay feature: Arena fighting
- Gameplay feature: Auto-mapping
- Gameplay feature: Beast riding & beast attacking
- Gameplay feature: Day / night cycle
- Gameplay feature: Drowning
- Gameplay feature: Fishing
- Gameplay feature: Herding
- Gameplay feature: Horse riding
- Gameplay feature: Pettable animals
- Gameplay feature: Transformation
- Launch title: Wii (North America)
- Legend of Zelda series
- Nintendo Selects releases
- Protagonist: Elf
- Theme: Werewolves
Screenshots
Promos
Videos
Add Trailer or Gameplay Video +1 point
See any errors or missing info for this game?
You can submit a correction, contribute trivia, add to a game group, add a related site or alternate title.
Credits (Wii version)
227 People (188 developers, 39 thanks) · View all
Director | |
Sub-Directors | |
Script | |
Level Planning | |
Boss Battle Planning | |
Data Management | |
Program Directors | |
Main Programming | |
Player Programming | |
UI System Programming | |
[ full credits ] |
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 94% (based on 173 ratings)
Players
Average score: 4.1 out of 5 (based on 229 ratings with 15 reviews)
This was my first hands-on experience with any Zelda game.
The Good
The graphics are beautiful and detailed like few Wii games are. It's a myriad of wonders and fantasy world-building in one single package. It's Zelda, it's open world and it's the darkest chapter in the Zelda mythology (at least it's trying to stay that way).
The Bad
The Wii version doesn't have an option of making Link left-handed as he's always been in prior games. With that said, it's since become a varying trait in the recent Zelda games. The sword-play could also benefit from optional button-mashing as opposed to the mandatory Wii-remote swinging.
The Bottom Line
Want a game that's on a condensed console that shows its true potential with high-concept fantasy games? Look no further. It's everything you loved about Ocarina of Time and refined for 2006.
Wii · by John H. (52) · 2019
One of these rooms is going to break you.
The Good
Nice graphics. Interconnected world for exploration (Metroid and Braid fans will find this particularly satisfying). Horseback fighting. Very long single player campaign. It took me 20 hours to get to "Chapter 6" (Zelda Dungeon.net has a guide that's divided into 22 chapters). Good production values -- everything flows well and smoothly.
The Wii Remote + Nunchuck controls are especially praise-worthy. The controls work, with at least a dozen moves that feel quite natural. Or it would have worked, if the level design had been more forgiving. But the Japanese who designed the levels (dungeons) had issues, and they decided to take it out on the players -- See the next section.
The Bad
Zelda games have ALWAYS been hard. In the past it was the boss fights that were hard. Now it's the camera angles.
Exploration has always been futile in Zelda games too. It has never been reasonable or sane to beat a Zelda game without reading guides. Twilight Princess required me to read a guide, or even two guides, basically everytime I entered a new room. There are tiny, tiny items or switches that you are unlikely to see at all, but have to interact with, in order to proceed. So, even with a guide, you don't complete your quests easily.
Almost every room in Twilight Princess is a test of your endurance. One of these rooms is going to break you, and you'll just give up. I made it to Chapter 6 (the Goron Mines). It's a dungeon with lava everywhere. It's so easy to die in this dungeon. After I finally got to the third room, I saved my game and turned the Wii console off. The next time I loaded my game, I was back at the entrance!? That's it. I quit.
The Bottom Line
Just know what it isn't. It isn't a game you can play through casually. It isn't a game you can play through with some dedication. If you decide to play Twilight Princess, you have to be really devoted. It's hard work. There is only one difficulty. You have no choice. Honestly, I found most of my textbooks (college and graduate level, mind you) to be much easier and friendlier, after I played Twilight Princess.
It is also not like the old top-down Zeldas. In A Link to the Past for example, you could see the whole map very early in the game, and you could go very far and you could go in any direction. Twilight Princess is a lot more linear. You're limited to go to only a few places, or only one place, at a given time.
Wii · by Pagen HD (146) · 2013
Very epic, dark atmosphere and over all a good experience.
The Good
The games has some amazing soundtrack, quite good graphics, amazing storyline and really good characters. It keeps the interest of the player.
The Bad
The difficulty variates too much. And it's not always clear where you're supposed to be.
The Bottom Line
An amazing puzzle fantasy adventure action roleplaying game. With very dark atmosphere, very epic soundtrack.
Wii · by Johanna London (3) · 2014
Discussion
Subject | By | Date |
---|---|---|
Android version? | Deleted (13945) | May 18, 2019 |
Genre Correction | Mark Picard (1) | Jul 9, 2013 |
Mirrored? | beetle120 (2415) | Nov 25, 2007 |
Trivia
1001 Video Games
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.
Delay
The game was originally announced for release for the GameCube in November 2005. This was delayed to November 2006 so that the developers could add more content to the game and release it on the Wii as well as the GameCube.
Development
- During development, Midna's hair was red and green, while in the final version it's red but ends in blonde-yellow.
- Although Sheik, Zelda's ninja-like alter-ego from
Ocarina of Time , does not appear in Twilight Princess, an updated design of the character was drafted up in its development. He is however available as a playable character in the Wii gameSuper Smash Bros.: Brawl .
Characters
Throughout the game you'll encounter the strange Shadow Beasts (the dark blue/black coloured humanoids with the bizarrely shaped disc-heads and tentacle hair). However, in two cut-scenes, you can see two big Shadow Beasts with differently designed disc-heads flanking Zant like bodyguards.They don't appear in-game as enemies.
Glitch
There is a bug in a room with a big cannon Link can use to warp. If you save in that room, an invisible character won't let you leave, but he can't be spoken too. Link can't transform into a wolf either. Customers could return the disc to Nintendo to have it replaced. A video of the glitch is available in the related links section.
Inside Zelda
Nintendo of America's official magazine, Nintendo Power, published a monthly series of articles called Inside Zelda, which revealed how the game was developed. The series can be read in its entirety here.
Inspiration
- The Oocca race appears to be inspired by M.C. Escher's painting Another World.
- The masks worn by the Ancient Sages resemble those worn by chorus members in Ancient Greek dramas.
Midna
The character Midna, who speaks gibberish, is actually speaking English that has been scrambled beyond comprehension. Some of her unscrambled voice lines are related to the game's story whilst others are related to key gameplay elements (such as "I'll take you there with my power", which is used when warping to other areas. This is especially interesting as Midna's voice actress, Akiko Kōmoto is Japanese.
References
- if you look around the fishing hut, the owner, you'll see an old black and white photograph of the Fishing Guy from the Lake Hylia fishing pond from Ocarina of Time. The hut's owner and operator Hena refers to him as the "legendary fisherman" and comments that she may be a descendant of his.
- In Hyrule Castle Town you meet a character named Thelma, who owns a bar in the city and is a fairly important NPC to the storyline. She also owns a cat named Louise, who helps you as well. The two characters are a reference to the movie Thelma & Louise.
- The characters Malo and Talo, children living in Link's hometown Ordon Village, are named references to Malon and Talon from
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time , who are references to Marin and Tarin fromThe Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening . - The symbols that represent each Sage are the Six Medallions from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Version differences
Unlike every other Legend of Zelda game, Link is right handed in Twilight Princess. This is so most people (right handers make up 85% of the population) can make use of the Wii controls in the same hand as Link. Sword in the right, shield in the left. The GameCube version has Link using his left hand as usual. To make the game work for the right handed Link of the Wii, the Wii and GameCube versions of this game have the world map and everything in it mirrored So everything stays the same relative to him.
Awards
- GamePro (Germany)
- February 01, 2007 - Best Console Game in 2006 (Wii version) (Readers' Vote)
- February 01, 2007 - Best Console Action-Adventure in 2006 (Wii version) (Readers' Vote)
- GameSpy
- 2006 – Game of the Year
- 2006 – Console Game of the Year
- 2006 – GameCube Game of the Year
- 2006 – Wii Game of the Year
- 2006 – GameCube Game of the Year (Gamers' Vote)
- 2006 – Wii Game of the Year (Gamers' Vote)
- 2006 – Wii Adventure Game of the Year
- 2006 – Wii RPG of the Year
Information also contributed by Keeper Garrett, Mark Ennis, Sciere and Thomas Dowding
Analytics
Upgrade to MobyPro to view research rankings!
Related Sites +
-
Iwata Asks - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
NCL president Satoru Iwata interviews Yoshiyuki Oyama, Keisuke Nishimori, Koji Kitagawa, Atsushi Miyagi, Kentaro Tominaga & Aya Kyogoku of Nintendo EAD's Software Development Department. -
Official Website
website -
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Official game website -
Twilight Princess Cannon Room glitch
A video demonstration of the glitch in the cannon room, see the trivia item for more information -
Wikipedia
The article on The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess at Wikipedia
Identifiers +
Contribute
Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.
Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Keeper Garrett.
Wii U added by Kam1Kaz3NL77. Android added by firefang9212. GameCube added by Kabushi.
Additional contributors: Sciere, Freeman, gamewarrior, samsam12, —-, Patrick Bregger, Grandy02, Rik Hideto, Kam1Kaz3NL77, FatherJack, Deleted.
Game added November 20, 2006. Last modified February 11, 2024.